Police say a national smash-and-grab gang of thieves targeting women in affluent neighborhoods is back in North Texas.

Officials thought they ran the Felony Lane Gang out of the area last year after an intense crackdown. Nearly 20 suspected members were arrested in North Texas. But now police are seeing more reported incidents matching how the gang operates, Plano police spokesman David Tilley said.

“It’s very difficult to catch these guys in the act because it all happens in a matter of seconds,” Tilley said. “We are going after them, but we need women to be smart and eliminate opportunities for them.”

Gang members are known for selecting locations where a woman is likely to leave her purse behind during an errand. Those areas include day care centers, gyms or parks. They break into the cars and steal women’s purses to get their checkbooks and drivers’ licenses. Then they use the checkbook of one victim to write a check and cash it using the identification of another victim, officials said.

Cities in Collin County and areas in North Dallas have been hit, Tilley said.

Last year, officials attributed 159 incidents to the gang. Plano, the FBI and other law enforcement monitored parking lots, hid officers in bait cars and conducted surveillance. In August, 16 arrests were made in the Dallas area. Three others were arrested in Rowlett in December.

But since mid-April of this year, Plano police have seen about 20 more such incidents. Targets have included the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in west Plano and daycares.

Now the gang members are driving luxury rental cars, such as a Cadillac, BMW or Lexus. They are trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves as they pull up to targets in affluent neighborhoods, Tilley said. He notes they use stolen license plates on the rented vehicles to make it more difficult to trace them.

Tilley said women should carry their purses with them at all times when leaving the car. Hiding them under seats or in trunks only attracts attention of the gang, he said. Tilley encouraged to residents to report any suspicious behavior, such as someone lingering around a car at a park.

The gang originated in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area and has stolen millions of dollars using stolen checks and identification, authorities say. Its name comes from the members opting to use the drive-thru lane farthest from bank tellers, which makes it easier for them to use the stolen identifications.

Federal officials are tracking incidents across the country, said Katherine Chaumont, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Dallas office. “We’re definitely working closely with local agencies as we see this uptick in activity,” she said.

In May, federal courts in Pennsylvania sentenced a suspected Felony Lane Gang member to 63 months in prison. He was the last of 10 suspected members to be sentenced following a crackdown in that state.